


A Map to the Stars

by Salimah



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Alternate Universe - Space Pirates, F/M, Hidden Pirate Treasure, Kidnapping, Kinda, Magic tattoo, off-screen violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14859875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salimah/pseuds/Salimah
Summary: Steve told Bucky to come back to the ship with a map that only a handful of people knows about. He really doesn’t understand why he’s so surprised when Bucky comes back not only without the fucking map, but with a very angry and screaming woman over his shoulder. Steve should be used to this, really, but he isn’t.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because I have zero auto control, this is for @brightlycoloredteacups‘s theme of the week on Tumblr. The one of that week was space! So yeah, get some space pirates Avengers and all that shit. Maaaaybe could make a part two, who knows?
> 
> Credit of the amazing title to @persephone-is-here-omg, and the name of the planet the story is placed in goes to my babygirl Virginia. Thank you ladies, you’re amazing.
> 
> I think is painfully obvious that english isn’t my first language, so if you see any mistakes in the narration is because of that. Please let me know what do you think!

Steve heard Bucky before he saw him.

The day had passed relatively quiet, as quiet as a pirate ship could be, and Steve spent almost half of it roaming the ship nervously. He didn’t had to be worried; when Bucky proposed to something, there was no way in hell that he wouldn’t finish it.

Steve hurried to lean over the edge of the railing on the deck of the metallic ship to see  better the arrival of his second in command. What he saw left him surprised, but not disappointed.

Bucky approached calmly the ship with a light step, mingling among the aliens on the Feeblorp pier and drinking a bottle of whiskey with one hand. His metal arm held a woman over his shoulder, holding her in place. He didn’t seem to notice the screams and kicks that the woman was throwing at him.

“Oh,  _damn it_.” Steve muttered under his breath, already feeling the headache behind his eyes.

“Why is Barnes playing the caveman again?” Clint was leaning against the edge of the deck, pulling something from between his teeth. “I thought we had forbidden him that.”

Steve let out a sigh, “I did too.”

Natasha patted his back and activated the security code to open the ship’s hatch. Less than two minutes later Bucky was on the deck with them, giving his whiskey a last drink before throwing the bottle overboard. Now that he was closer Steve could see the signs of a fight in him; messy hair, dried blood in his black leather coat and a really pretty bruise on his cheek.

The woman on his shoulder scratched his back.

“Get off, now!” She yelled with a fierceness that Steve only heard in people completely ready to break some bones.

Bucky looked over his shoulder indifferently and, in a movement typical of him, dropped his arm to his side and leaned to the left. Steve grimaced when the woman fell hard to the ground.

“Asshole,” she hissed.

“Bucky.” Steve stepped forward before his best friend answered. “I thought you’d just look for a map, not  _kidnap a fucking person._ ”

Bucky had the gall to look arrogant, “I did brought the map. It’s her.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow and Clint huffed. Steve could see Sam leaning against the doorway to the interior of the ship, and even he was looking at Bucky like two heads had come out of his neck. The mysterious woman had stood up and was shaking her pants with annoyance. Steve looked at her more closely.

“You have to be kidding.”

The woman’s mouth twisted and she looked away. She looked just as disheveled as Bucky, but she didn’t look hurt like Bucky did. She seemed more annoyed and paranoid than hurt.

Bucky shrugged, “Trust me; she’s the key to this whole thing.” He said it with such confidence that Steve found it hard not to believe him. The woman had backed away dangerously from the exit, but Bucky took her arm before she could flee. “Give her a good room, with air conditioning. She had a long day–”

"Because you threw me out of a building and used me as a  shield you fucking psychotic–”

“– And she needs to rest. I have to talk to her first before bed, though.” He paused in which only the sound of Clint chewing on a piece of bread was heard on the deck. “Alone.”

Steve clenched his jaw in that gesture Sam and Natasha liked to call _‘The Captain Look’,_  “We’ll talk about this later. Jarvis.”

“Yes sir.” The voice of I.A. startled the woman, who looked in all directions in search of the source of the voice. Steve suppressed a smile.

“Take Bucky and the lady to the nearest empty room–”

“One with hot water.”

“– And make sure the girl doesn’t try anything weird, please.” Steve rolled his eyes, but Bucky looked satisfied. The woman looked calmer than before, but she still scratched Bucky’s hand that held her tightly.

“Of course, Captain Rogers. Please follow me, Sergeant Barnes.”

Bucky nodded to say goodbye to his colleagues and gave one last look to his captain before guiding you inside the ship with a very uncommon delicacy of him, passing by Sam’s side with only a nod in greeting. Steve looked at them with narrowed eyes as they disappeared into the Avengers ship. Tony would have a feast with this gossip later.

* * *

 Bucky closed the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. The bruise on his right cheekbone was beginning to be painted in colors he usually saw in Steve’s notebook. He came out of the bathroom pressing an ice pack in the blow.

You were sitting on the edge of your bed, drying your hair absent-mindedly. Bucky could not help noticing the way your lips were slightly open in a pensive expression, nor the way you looked in the nightwear Natasha lent you.

You looked up when Bucky came in, sending him a blank stare before looking away. Bucky sighed and lowered the compress.

“I’m sorry I caused you so many problems today, but you  _are_  safer here. And you know it.” It felt like something bitter to say, but it was the best thing that occurred to him to tell you. He had not talked much with you before the shit exploded a few hours before, when he had cornered you in an alley to interrogate you about Nova’s map.

You shook your head in disbelief, “I was fine before today, I was  _safe_. I had everything under control.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“You mean that today was the first time that Hydra attacked you, and that you could have escaped on your own if I hadn’t been there?” You pressed your lips together, but you refused to look away. Bucky knew you could defend yourself; the scratch on his abdomen told him that very clearly, but he was sure you wouldn’t have survived much longer on your own in Feeblorp.

Bucky allowed himself to stare at you with the excuse of keeping up the challenge, but the truth was that he just wanted to see you without the fear of being caught. Your eyes shone with stubbornness and the slightest trace of fear, but Bucky knew you didn’t fear him.

Your neck and arms were exposed, illuminated by artificial light that came from no particular place. The room was relatively small, with a bed, a closet and a small bathroom. There was a window obscured by the will of the occupant of the bedroom, but it was easily recognizable.

You let out a shaky breath and dropped the towel in your lap. “No one has been able to decipher the map, not even me. It is impossible to do it.”

Bucky’s shoulders relaxed and he finally let himself go. “You have to let me try.”

You looked at him for a few agonizingly long seconds before biting your lip –and that gesture should not have caused what it did in Bucky– and standing up.

“Promise me you won’t freak out.” Bucky had a little flashback to a Disney movie before nodding solemnly. You let out a breath of air before moving to the window and looking at it cautiously for a few seconds before looking at it, “How–?”

The dark color of the window glass began to dissolve as if it were being cleaned, revealing the universe that stretched infinitely in all directions. They had already set sail from Feeblorp and there was no view of their bustling streets or colorful skies; only stars and planets very, very distant.

You took a few steps back away from the window. The light of the stars filtered into the room, but the artificial light dimmed it easily. With a single movement of his hand, all the lights in the room were gone, leaving them in darkness except for the light that came through the window.

You extended your hand towards Bucky from the shadows, “Come here.”

Bucky took your hand almost too fast to be comfortable, but if you noticed his hurry to touch you then you didn’t show it. You pushed him closer to you, stepping into the light of the stars. Bucky stayed there waiting for whatever you wanted to teach him, and he didn’t have to wait long.

Thin bright lines were drawn on your shoulders, moving as brushstrokes on your skin and spreading on your arms and neck. Bucky watched in amazement as the lines grew and changed to numbers, letters and figures. In a matter of minutes your skin was full of symbols and constellations completely unknown to him.

“What the hell?” He let out a breath he didn’t know he was containing.

The smallest smile appeared on your lips, “Impressive, isn’t it?” You traced one of the patterns on your forearm with the tip of your finger, following the bright lines like you had done it a thousand times before, and surely you had. “They only appear under the light of the stars. Maybe some moons too, I’m not sure.”

Bucky reached out and brushed the pattern of lines and letters on your collarbone, following the labyrinth of riddles with a burning curiosity. He realized what he was doing when he felt the accelerated beat of your heart beneath his fingers. “I am sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.” You shook your head. Bucky was mesmerized by the glow of your eyes in this light, almost as impressive as the map on your body.

“Is it all over your body, or only in your arms and chest?”

Bucky could feel the heat radiating from you. Had you blushed? It was difficult to see with this light. You shook your head, avoiding your eyes.

“It’s all over my top, except my face. There are places I can not always study.” Bucky nodded curiously. He put a hand on your head before he could stop himself and tilted your head to one side, exposing your neck to his penetrating gaze.

Thin lines wove themselves into the skin of your neck, mingling with phrases in languages Bucky didn’t know or understand. “Turn around.” The words came out more authoritative than he anticipated. You turned around almost immediately, but not before Bucky could see you swallowing nervously.

There was not much bare skin on your back, just your neck and the back of your arms, but the view still was impressive. The patterns of the map left the line of your hair likethey were part of it and disappeared in the neck of your blouse. Bucky traced what looked like the tip of a star sticking out of the hem of your blouse, and startled when the star moved.

You laughed softly. “It’s a compass; it never stops moving when I’m on a ship.”

“Amazing.” Bucky had no words for what he was seeing. He wanted to see more and more of the map on your skin, but his mama raised him right and he wasn’t about to ask a lady to take off her clothes just to satisfy his curiosity.

You played with the hem of your blouse and looked at it over your shoulder. “I have no idea why I have this map on me, nor what my purpose is in this whole legend of Nova’s treasure, but many people have suffered for me, Bucky.” Your lower lip trembled, and Bucky had the horrible need to press it with his own mouth to stop shaking. “You have to promise me to help you finish all this, and to not hurt more people.”

Bucky wanted to shake you and tell you that it was a completely stupid move to trust him. Even if Bucky was completely confident, his word wouldn’t help if his crewmates were as greedy as Hydra. But he didn’t, and instead he took you by your  shoulders and turned you around so you were face to face.

“I will not let anything bad happen to you again, Y/N. I told you before and I tell you now; You’re safe with me.”

You squeezed his metal hand in a gesture of kindness that Bucky didn’t think you were capable of showing, and he felt the edges of his lips rise in a smile.

He could feel in the depths of himself that he got into a big mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, when Bucky remembers a Disney movie he means Tangled. Feeblorp is the name of the planet they are right now, and Nova is the treasure Bucky and co. are searching for.
> 
> As always, comments and opinions are deeply welcomed!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following adventures of the walking-map Y/N and love-struck Bucky Barnes in the search for the Nova Treasure. Things, as usual, don’t go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for @ruckystarnes‘s Summer of Satire Challenge on Tumblr. My prompt is number 32, which I thought was perfect for a part two of this story.
> 
> I made the reader a mechanic because why the fuck not. I hope to explore that side of her in the future chapters.
> 
> Also, if you don’t notice by yourself, I suck at action scenes.
> 
> I forgot how much I hate translating ugh.

Life as a pirate was not exactly what Bucky had dreamed it would be as a child, much less being a pirate with a metal arm traveling in a spaceship with his best friends in search of alcohol, money and more often than not, problems.

And yes, perhaps seven-year-old Bucky had fantasized about something like his current life once, but there were small details that his childhood mind definitely hadn’t included.

Like the insistent sound of the assembling machine that had not stopped the whole damn morning.

Steve sat next to him on the deck and watched him polish his weapon, “I can see the thirst for blood in your eyes.” Bucky pursed his lips and loaded the gun.

“You shouldn’t have introduced her to Tony.” He lowered the weapon with strange floral details, which he had affectionately nicknamed ‘Rose’, completely clean and loaded, and took another from the pile next to him, Daisy. “They have been together all day. The noise is driving me mad.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “They live in the same ship; they were going to meet sooner or later. I just shortened things.”

“My patience was what you shortened.”

Steve let out a sigh. “This is not what I came to tell you.”

“Then talk now before I get bored of cleaning my children and decide to put them to work instead.”

“Natasha and Bruce deciphered one of the signs in Y/N.”

Bucky stopped all his movements as if he had been slapped, and left Daisy down. Steve looked at him seriously, “Which one?”

Steve gave a little touch to his left clavicle, “The gray orb. Guess which lovely planet we have to go?” Steve grimaced in disgust and Bucky had to take a moment to review the list of planets that weren’t exactly his favorite tourist destinations.

“Don’t tell me we have to go back to Feeblorp. Or to Saakar. I hate Saakar.” Bucky took Rose, Daisy and all theirs sisters– uh, _guns_ , and stored them methodically in their holsters. He really didn’t want to go to Saakar, or Feeblorp, in that case, but if that was where the clue indicated then he didn’t have much choice.

Steve stood up with him and followed him to his room. The corridors of the ship were metallic and extensive, but there was something cozy about them. Maybe it was the fact that Bucky had never been as safe in his life as he was in that ship, but the dark metal walls and lights that simulated fire made him feel at home.

“Fortunately for you, no. Unfortunately for me, the gray orb is in Trashner.” Steve said bitterly. Ah, Trashner. It’s exactly what its name says: trash. Neither Bucky nor anyone on the ship was a fan of Trashner; he didn’t know anyone who was. “Hurrah.”

His room wasn’t the great thing; walls covered with blue, a bed for two, a closet where he could easily hide a couple of rifles, a small but fully functional bathroom and a pantry where he liked to put his weapons, knives and bath bombs. They calmed him down when he went to sleep.

Bucky locked his guns and turned to face Steve, “Did you tell the others already?”

“Only Tony and Y/N are left. I’m not going there with those two playing scientists.”

“Coward.”

“Cry baby.”

Bucky hit his best friend’s shoulder when he passed by, “I’ll tell them hello from you.”

Steve followed him out of his room, “I know you will, asshole.”

The deck was just as metal and artificial as the rest of the ship, but it had the same air of familiarity that you couldn’t get rid of. The ground was similar to wood, like the cover of a classic pirate ship on Earth. It had no ceiling or high walls, and gave the impression that it was completely open to outer space. You still didn’t understand how you could breathe while you were there.

Tony was fighting with Steve about something in a corner away from you, and Sam and Clint were playing cards on the side of the entrance to the interior of the ship. You were about to join them when a cold, heavy hand landed on your shoulder.

Bucky looked at you with the same pretentious look he had every time he was near you. “Did you have fun this morning?”

You could almost feel your face light up. “It’s incredible! I hadn’t seen such advanced technology since I made a ship-stop in Knowhere a few years ago.” And you spent the next twenty minutes babbling about machinery and technology and things that Bucky probably didn’t even understand how to pronounce, but he stayed there all the time, nodding or humming each time you stopped to take a breath.

The corner of Bucky’s lip lifted into something that could almost be considered a smile, but knowing it was just one of his many nervous tics. Bucky leaned against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest, “Have you ever been in Trashner?”

You shrugged your shoulders at the change of subject, “I’ve made some stops, but I haven’t gone far. Is it really as bad as it sounds?”

“Worse.” Bucky growled and reached into his jacket pocket. You saw how his hands moved under the fabric incessantly and not for the first time you wondered what the hell was hidden there. “It smells like tires burning eternally.”

You allowed yourself to smile and you leaned with him on the railing. You were silent for a few minutes in which Bucky looked at the dark space landscape that surrounded you from all directions. The stars and galaxies shone above your heads like an endless and silent fireworks show. You took a deep breath and relaxed in the warmth of the deck.

You took the time of calm to look at him more carefully. His hair was pulled back in a disheveled bun and some hair slid down his face. He had the same jacket he worn the day he found you; a black jacket made of a material that was not exactly leather, but something similar. You knew he hides a dozen knives underneath it.

You caught the glint of his metal hand and instinctively checked your own arm; you were covered almost from head to toe in a dark coat, and you made sure to keep your hands hidden most of the time. You were already comfortable enough with the crew to give in to the turtlenecks, but the long sleeves were going to stay for a while longer.

The artificial illumination of the ship does a good job hiding the bright lines that jutted from the edge of your sweater towards your neck. The stars were always bright on the deck, and you had barely accepted the idea of Doctor Banner examining the map in you so closely. You were not ready to show it freely to the rest of the crew.

Bucky looked at you again, “Do you have any idea what could be the gray orb?” The question took you by surprise, but you, too, have been wondering about that for a while. Dr. Banner and Natasha had already asked you several times, too.

The gray orb was one of the patterns on your skin, small and circular. It was in your left collarbone, the size of a baseball ball, and had small patterns in it. Lines intertwined in knots impossible to untie, like a labyrinth. There was a small portion that was blank, just at the base of the orb and interlaced with curves and unknown patterns.

“Sometimes it moves.” You mumbled, and you realized that you were caressing your clavicle absently. You squeezed your hands behind your back and kept talking, “Like a disco ball, you know? But without the bright lights and everything that makes a disco ball fun.”

Bucky hummed in agreement, “There’s something similar in the east of Trashner. No one knows exactly what it is, but it looks similar to your mark.”

“Do you think we’ll discover something there?”

Bucky twisted his mouth in a dubious gesture, “We have to try and find out.”

You fell silent again. You were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable you felt in his presence; when was the last time you were truly relaxed with someone? Bucky had this menacing aura that radiated from him, with his cold stare and stoic posture reminded you of a predator waiting in the shadows for the perfect prey. You still remember when you felt that prey was you, and yet you trusted him so quick it scared you.

Bucky cleared his throat and you noticed that he was watching you. You felt the heat rise to your cheeks and you looked away, concentrating on the constellations above your head.

“I have something for you,” Bucky continued to stare at you intently.

You forced yourself to look at him and you noticed that his hand was no longer in his pocket. Bucky held a dark leather bundle in his hands, looking at you expectantly.

“What is it?” You asked.

Bucky didn’t take his eyes off of yours, but still you noticed how a pink color tinted his face, “I got you this when we stopped to fill the water tank.” You looked carefully at the leather bulge and took it hesitantly, stealing glances at him and running your fingers over the soft brown material. “I thought you’d like to have your own tools.”

Your eyes lit up and you looked at him incredulously. You opened the leather bundle to reveal mechanical tools in perfect condition, its gleaming metal shining in your eyes. “Bucky, you shouldn’t have …” You didn’t have words.

Bucky shrugged and looked away, looking as indifferent as always, but the smile pulling at the corner of his lips told you everything you needed to know. He looked at you out of the corner of his eye with what you suspected was nervousness. “Don’t bother. It’s for you to entertain yourself and not blow something up with Tony.”

The comment was almost enough to break your joy, almost. But you were too busy touching and inspecting the simple metal tools for you to care. You closed the leather case with all the tools secured inside and looked at Bucky. He was still staring at you, but he still refused to show his expectation.

You smiled with sincerity and put your hand on his forearm, giving his a soft squeeze, “Thank you.”

Bucky let out a sigh and looked down at your hand on his arm of flesh and bone, and you quickly removed it. Bucky rushed to take it again, “No, it doesn’t bother me.”

You gasped like a fish for a few seconds and wondered if the heat on Bucky’s cheeks was as obvious as the one you have. You looked at your intertwined hands, both covered almost completely by clothes, but still you could see the thin lines on your knuckles glowing brightly. They were moving; the lines danced between your fingers and curled where Bucky’s were. It was as if your body wanted to touch him even through the barriers of the skin.

Bucky watched the movement with his eyes open in fascination; “How…?”

You couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at your lips, “It’s as if it had a life by itself, don’t you think?” Bucky nodded absently, holding your hand close to his face to see more closely the pattern of light that stretched for your skin.

It was just your damn hand, but Bucky was looking at it as if it had the answers to his existence. He had done this many times in the last weeks; he would come into your room at the end of the day and run with his fingertips the patterns of your skin as if you were a work of art in person. You knew there was nothing sexual in his touches, but even so you couldn’t help feeling a tremor climb up your back every time his lips came too close to your skin.

You haven’t been kissed in years.

Bucky raised his gaze to your eyes and realized what he was doing. He quickly dropped your hand and stepped back, leaving a feeling of emptiness in your palm. You mentally scolded yourself for missing his touch.

Bucky still hadn’t lost the sparkle in his eyes, however. “It’s amazing, I don’t get tired of seeing it.”

“You’re a nerd.” A broad smile spread across your face and you clung to the leather case, focusing on steading down your breathing.

“And you’re a meanie.” Bucky answered without missing a heartbeat.

“You are the most immature person I have ever met.”

“I thought you spent all morning with Tony? I’m sure he would fight for that title.”

“Haha. You are so creative.”

“Only when you’re here to hear me, doll.” He said with a smile. You hated when he did this; cut off a discussion with his always inappropriate flirting.

You forced yourself to ignore the tug in your stomach at the nickname. You were about to answer when Steve’s voice came over your head, from the control room.

“Trashner in sight.”

Trashner remained the same as Bucky remembered; smelly, dirty and full of criminals.

Lucky that his crew were criminals too, and very good ones he had to say. Bucky sometimes wondered what his mother would think of her son being so proud of his neck-breaking abilities, but he always pushed the thought away.

They left the Avengers parked in a relatively safe area and with their security mode to the maximum; if someone dared to put one foot too close, they would be burned alive by the impressive laser beam that Tony and Bruce built a few years ago. Bucky wasn’t ashamed to acknowledge that he loved that laser beam.

Trashner wasn’t as busy as Feeblorp or Saakar, but Bucky still crashed his shoulders with creatures he wouldn’t touch even with a knife in his neck, but he kept going as the crew dispersed to cover more ground. Bucky squeezed your arm hard and pulled you close to him when you tried to go with Natasha.

“What the hell are you doing?” You asked with a hiss. Bucky felt threatened by a kitten.

“You come with me. Come on.” And practically dragged you with him into the sea of unknown bodies that were the streets of Trashner.

Wherever you looked, there was garbage. Buildings made of garbage, garbage banks, mountains of garbage. The vast majority were metallic things; parts of ships and weapons discarded and battered by abuse, but there were things you couldn’t identify. You tried to ignore the things that seemed to be alive.

The air had a perpetual musty odor, but the oxygen was breathable. The atmosphere in general was gray, as if a layer of dust covered the star that worked as a sun for this planet. You had visited Trashner before, but as you told Bucky, you hadn’t stayed more than a couple of hours. Now you understand why not many people like this place.

Finally, after less than an hour of walking, Bucky stopped when crossing a street. His shoulders were tense on alert and his eyes shouted ‘Get away or I’ll break your neck,’ and the aliens around him seemed to notice. You stopped by his side and saw what was in front of you.

“The gray orb.” Bucky said dryly.

A gigantic orb of metal and steel loomed over the piles of trash that surrounded it, and for a second you thought it floated, but the huge structure rested peacefully on the ground. You rubbed the area where the exact replica of the object in front of you was drawn on your skin.

“Is it me or does it look like a Death Star?” You asked without taking your eyes off the globe.

Bucky looked at you with bright eyes. “That’s just what I was thinking.”

You smiled, "Wait for others to see it.”

Bucky returned the smile, but only momentarily before he remembered where he was and what he was doing. Bucky yanked your arm and advanced toward the gray orb.

“The locals call it The Stone Moon, but they don’t know what exactly it’s doing here,” Bucky explained as he made his way through the trash on his way. You followed him carefully, just stepping where he did. “Trashner is not a planet in itself, you know? It’s just a bunch of space debris squashed together in a disgusting ball a little bigger than a moon.”

Your nose crushed against Bucky’s back when he stopped abruptly. “Ow,” you complained, but you stopped by his side and looked up. The gray orb was much more impressive up close; it had to measure almost as much as a ten-story building, and now that you were only a few meters away from it you couldn’t help but feel insignificant.

You looked at the details in the metal attentively, following them with your eyes and amazed at the incredible accuracy that you had with the brand’s patterns on your skin. “Yes, it  _is_  the gray orb.”

Bucky hummed in agreement. “The locals say it has nothing special; it doesn’t move, it doesn’t make noise, it doesn’t suddenly explode on a specific day of the year. It’s just here, doing nothing worth mentioning.”

“It sounds like me.” You shrugged. Bucky chuckled and shook his head slightly.

“I have to object to that.” He looked at you with narrow, dark eyes, and you felt under the gaze of a predator again. His posture still was tense, paranoid, ready to attack at any second. You understood because he hated planets like these; too many people, too many threats. Now you wanted to get out of here as much as he did.

You were about to answer when you noticed something out of the corner of your eye; a specific pattern was carved in this part of the globe. Curved lines and letters of a language unknown to you were intertwined and twisted until they disappeared on the other side of the orb. You knew where they were going.  
You took the sleeve of Bucky’s jacket and pulled it in the direction the pattern indicated, “Follow me.”

Bucky looked at you with bewilderment, but followed you without protest. You dodged the most disgusting and sharp garbage piles with Bucky dutifully following behind you until you were right where you wanted to be. But what was in front of you wasn’t what you expected.

There was another pattern right where the blank portion of the orb had to be. It was different from the rest of the orb’s patterns, that was for sure. While all the lines of the orb were carved horizontally, the pattern in this area was vertical. They were curved, soft lines, and phrases were carved between them.

“I’ve never seen this part,” you said with eyebrows pressed together in concentration.

Bucky looked at you and then at the orb, and then at you again. “What do we have to look for?”

You shook your head, confused, and looked at the orb for a few more seconds before joining your eyes with Bucky’s. “I have no idea, but this has to mean something.”

Bucky tightened his lips and made a quick review of his surroundings. You went ahead and took a step closer to the orb. You raised your arm and brushed your fingers against the cold, rough metal, but a sound made you jump away from it. A throbbing pain spread across your forearm like blazing fire and you screamed, holding your wounded arm and filling your hand with blood. Where did it come from?

You didn’t have time to think more before Bucky was on you, “Down!”

Bucky pushed you to the ground just in time to dodge the rain of missiles that hit the orb. Bucky was on you, covering your body with his own and cursing repeatedly.

He pushed you forward, telling you to crawl away from the danger zone, “Move!” He shouted.

You didn’t wasted another second and you obeyed. You crawled across the floor quickly, ignoring the bullet wound in your right arm and keeping a scream when the missiles followed you.

The missiles made dents in the metal of the orb, and you crawled until you were covered by a sheet of gleaming steel large enough to cover the bullets. They were starting to make dents in that, too, and you looked everywhere in search of something to defend yourself,  _anything._

Bucky hid behind a scrap heap a few feet away from you. Bucky winked at you from his hiding place before continuing to shoot at Hydra’s agents who were now shouting orders to find you and Bucky.

“Are you okay?” You screamed over the noise of the shots. Bucky barely looked at you.

“Fantastic.” He grunted and ducked back into his hiding place. He gestured for you to come closer and you ran towards him. You fell on your knees on the floor in front of him and you huddled in his hiding place, squeezing the wound in your arm. That shit hurts like hell.

Bucky pulled your hand away to see your wound and clenched his jaw when you jumped at the touch, “We have to get you out of here. Now.”

Your breathing came out like a ragged breath and your heart beating hard against your chest. Bucky gave you a weapon – with weird paintings of violets – and pressed it on your good hand. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

“Of course I know how to use some of these, who do you think I am?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “It’s not time to throw a tantrum for your hurt pride, woman! This isn’t good.”

You looked outside your hiding place and saw how the Hydra’s agents, four of them now, emptied their weapons in all directions. If there was an alien near the eastern part of Trashner, surely everyone had fled for that moment. One of the agents put his hand to his ear and said something on his intercom.  _Damnit_.

“How can you tell?” You asked stupidly, because hell, this whole situation is pretty screwed up, but you attributed your momentary stupidity to the loss of blood.

Bucky and you watched as more Hydra agents appeared in the area. Great.

Bucky clicked his tongue. “See how they’re slowly surrounding us?”

“Yep.”

“And they all have guns and knives?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And…” Bucky paused to look more closely at the scene unfolding before his eyes, “I think that guy has a machete?”

“Oh dammit. I don’t want to die on a planet made of garbage.” You leaned against the metal that protected you from your enemy. There were at least a dozen Hydra agents now, and you held the gun Bucky gave you with trembling hands. “I’m not even wearing my nice underwear one. _Fuck._ ”

Bucky gave you an exasperated look. “We are not going to die, dumbass. I promised to keep you safe, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

You should have trusted him before, because just as you watched as Hydra’s agents raised their weapons – and the machete guy prepared to cut some good pieces of meat – and prepared to fire in your direction, the characteristic sound of the voice of Clint came to your ears.

“Hello hello, you fuckers.” Clint yelled from the top of a pile of garbage, raising his bow and smirking at Hydra’s agents with that eating shit smile you had grown fond of.

Hydra’s agents only had the opportunity to open their mouths before Clint fired and shots and explosions started again.

A smile spread across your face when you saw the other Avengers arrive at the scene, one by one knocking down the soldiers who were attacking you. An almost maniacal smile adorned Bucky’s face when he shouted to be heard over the noise.

“You took too long, you jerk!”

Steve was by your side in less than a second, patting his best friend on the shoulder and smiling from ear to ear. “I thought you wanted to spend some time alone with your lady.”

You wrinkled your nose instinctively at the innuendo, but Bucky was rolling his eyes and laughing as if a massacre wasn’t happening right behind him.

Finally there was no enemy soldier standing, and you walked with slow steps to the center of the battlefield, right next to the gray orb. Natasha and Clint checked in the pockets of the bodies on the floor in search of anything valuable and Tony checked the ship they had arrived at. Bruce was sitting peacefully by his side, drinking an apple juice. He waved at you with his hand when he saw you looking at him and returned the gesture.

But your vision blurred and your feet stumbled. You raised your wounded arm and leaned against the orb, just where the blank area should be, and watched as your blood covered hand left much more than a stain on the metal.

Bucky was by your side in an instant, helping you to stabilize and get away from the orb. A blue light spread from the mark of your hand to all the lines and patterns of the orb. It was the same light that shone on your skin in the moonlight. The light spread between the carvings of the orb until it was completely covered, and with one last final glow, it rose on the ground.

“What in the name of…?” You heard Natasha say behind you, but you were too focused on how the ground trembled and the light that the orb emitted.

The orb took a few more shakes and, as fast as it came, the light slid out of the metal structure and the orb fell to the ground again, raising a cloud of dust that left you coughing.

“Uh,” you say dryly, leaning against Bucky with fatigue. “That was it? What a disappointment.”

Bucky’s exasperated groan was the last thing you heard before you fainted.

 

You woke up with the worst headache you had felt in years.

A throbbing pain spread through your arm and you realized that it was bandaged. Oh, yes, the bullet wound.

You rubbed your eyes and sat on your bed, feeling a hand pushing you down almost immediately after.

“Stay down, doll.” Your vision was blurry, but you knew who it was. You couldn’t forget that voice.

“Bucky…” Your throat felt like sandpaper, and there was a glass of water pressed against your lips a moment later. You drank until the glass was empty and your vision was clear again. You were in your room, and the clock on the wall said that it was ‘night’ already, or the equivalent of sleeping time in space. “What the hell happened?”

Bucky smiled softly, but there was concern in his eyes, “You fainted because of the loss of blood, and I had to be a charming prince and bring you back to the ship in my arms so you wouldn’t die without your nice underwear.”

You laughted and immediately regretted it. You didn’t remember being so sore during the fight. “What happened after?”

Bucky straightened in his seat next to you in your bed, “Not much. We got rid of the bodies, destroyed their things, stole some cash. The usual.” But you could feel the tension in his voice.

“How did they find us, Bucky?” You asked with a trembling voice.

Bucky refused to look away and clenched his jaw. “I wasn’t careful enough a few days ago, when I got those tools for you. They managed to track us to Trashner. It… it was my fault.”

Your heart sank into your chest, “That’s not true, Buck. It was an accident, accidents happen.”

“An accident that could have killed you.” His voice trembled.

“But you wouldn’t let that happen. You promised to keep me safe, right? I’m counting on you to keep that promise.” Bucky still didn’t look very convinced.

You sighed and reached for his right hand and held it with yours. Bucky stared at your intertwined hands before turning his eyes to yours. “We’re in this together, Bucky, and you can’t punish yourself every time something bad happens.” You gave his hand a squeeze, and you felt the lines of your hand move until it reached his. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he rubbed his thumb against your knuckles.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

You frowned at the sudden change of subject, but you let it go this time. “Fine, I guess. A little sore, but I’ve been worse. ”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, “I guess so,” he said. You tried to hit him in the arm, but you were too tired to even lift you arm. Bucky was smiling openly now. “Don’t you feel if something has changed on the map?”

You stopped suddenly. You hadn’t thought about that. “Help me sit.”

Bucky hesitated a moment but ended up helping you at the end, and blushed deeply when you asked him to take off your tank top. Jarvis turned off the lights without you having to ask, and you sat up straight when the window opened and the starlight entered the room, bathing everything in its path.

Bucky watched with the same attention as the bright white lines formed figures and letters on your skin. Very slowly, the light of the stars painted your skin as if it were a blank canvas.

When the lines of your clavicle and neck appeared slowly, Bucky couldn’t help frowning.

“What is it?” You asked, looking at your own body in search of a change.

“It’s blue.” His voice was a whisper, as if he didn’t want to scare you.

“What?” Now it was you who frowned, looking at him in disbelief. Bucky brushed his fingers over the figure of the gray orb, raising his gaze to you. His eyes shone with surprise.

“The orb. It no longer shines with white light. It’s blue.”


End file.
